And it's summer time

Wow, just about a whole month since I posted. Let's check in shall we? There are usually about ten things which my brain is reminding me that I need to be doing more of at any given time, including but not limited to: enjoying my "youth", reading books, saving money, saving the children, making plans, following through on the plans, not eating so much ice cream (So the grammer of that clause would be "I need to do less eating so much ice cream." yes, sounds about right), making my front yard look socially acceptable, etc. Anyway, a quick look at The Oil Drum this evening reminded me what ought to be the most urgent thing on my list: consuming less petroleum. Not planning on it, but actually doing it. I believe this is a matter of survival even more than ethics and is, as such, much more important than all those other things I want to do to enjoy myself or further adorn my personality. Here is a much-reproduced image of Hubbert's Peak, a prediction of when oil production will peak globally. See the top of the hill? see about what year it's at? People are saying it happened as early as December 2005, or perhaps last year. Google peak oil and you'll find lots better info.

I found a phrase on a different oil blog rather appropos: people like myself are living in two worlds. That is, there are lots of us who are aware of what people are saying about peak oil, especially what Jim Kunstler says about "making other arrangements" (aside from any moral imperative we may feel about environmental stewardship). We are deeply concerned about being prepared for whatever lies ahead as our economy and society are severely jolted by an ever-decreasing supply of the single most important resource-petroleum. We are trying to think realistically about what kind of options we will have as global oil supplies and in turn all the myriad petro-products become less scarce. We know that this new economy, as it emerges and once it develops will look nothing like the current manic-consumerist everything-is-fine economy we are currently watching spring-break its way into its final bullrun. For example, my job at the Girl Scouts, which I love and am sometimes good at, which I believe does a lot of good in the lives of the girls with which I work, will have absolutely no place in a post-peak economy. It will not even make sense. For one thing, it is grant-funded, and I will be shocked if there is any non-profit world to speak of after the coming crisis sets in, and foundations no longer have any stock-market revenue. In addition, my job is only feasible if I drive around constantly to different program sites spending money on a variety of consumables to provide activities and snacks to the girls, many of whom are supported by parents who are barely stable, and barely making ends meet working service-sector jobs. Non-profit professionals live off the fat of the land (not that the proportion of fat to land has any bearing on my salary, but that's another story. ahem)

Anyway, I am trying to survive in this present world, to make my life work here in Mobile, to keep a pleasant home and live my life in a way I feel is ethical while the spectre of a world to come looms in my mind. Not even in my mind. It is all over the web, all over the fancy reports of important, knowledgeable people who actually have the credentials to speak on this matter: World oil production is peaking if it hasn't already and there is no amount of ethanol or biodiesel that will save us. Even if you don't believe in the peak, you've got to admit that oil is a finite resource. IT WILL RUN OUT ONE DAY. PERIOD. So, why, I ask, are we still building suburban housing tracts and mini-malls? You can only answer this question will some illogical or just plain evil response to the tune of, "I don't like living near poor people", I don't know the definition of 'finite' and therefore assume i'll always be able to drive everywhere I need to" or "I don't care about the world my children are going to have to live in, and I'll be dead before all the really bad stuff starts to happen." There is simply no argument. If you say "Oh, don't worry, they'll find more" You are answering on a faith that deserves to join the ranks of the "God is on our side in Iraq" crowd. But I digress

So I know this, and I'm trying to get ready for the consequences, assuming my future plans will play themselves out in an unpredictable, increasingly dangerous world. i'm stumped though, and I'm getting antsy because I can't figure out how to make the transition without playing the game for at least another couple of years, crossing my fingers and hoping the good times roll on long enough for us to sell our house, cash in and buy a piece somewhere. So on with the plan: This summer I teach myself chease and yogurt making, fix up my new bike, and keep trying to convince Nathanael we have room in the back yard for chickens. Here's hopin'.